James O'Brien

Hockey Daily Dose

A brand new coat

Chances are, most NHL executives - particularly general managers and head coaches - know that there’s an invisible clock ticking down to zero hour the second they take on a job. (Unless you happen to be David Poile or Darcy Regier and/or the head coaches that they currently employ.)

Still, that sneaking feeling inevitably increases its stride to the “horror movie killer who inexplicably walks faster than you can run” level when it comes to seemingly no-win jobs. So, for most of us, it wasn’t surprising that the Columbus Blue Jackets decided to can mediocre GM Scott Howson. If anything, many of us were surprised that new team president John Davidson even waited that long.

I’ve often remarked that some of the best-run teams in sport share an interesting common fabric of continuity. When you look at the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL and the Detroit Red Wings and a handful of other teams in the NHL, they might occasionally change coaches and general managers, but it rarely happens.

The funny thing about the Blue Jackets franchise is that, for a moribund outfit like this, they actually having been surprisingly stable … at least when it comes to their top executives. Howson became just the second GM in franchise history in June 2007, filling the not-so-big (figuratively?) shoes of Doug MacLean.

Howson’s made a parade of bad moves in his tenure, although in some cases (see: Jeff Carter), the poor results weren’t solely his fault. Either way, his example presents the possibility that stability doesn’t always guarantee victories; sometimes it just means that the same dude will keep blundering away.

THE NEW GUY

Still, change is in the air. As of this writing, it sounds like Jarmo Kekalainen will be the guy. I don’t know much about him other than that he 1) worked with Davidson in St. Louis, 2) has had a lot of success running Jokerit in Finland, 3) would probably be the first Finnish GM in NHL history and 4) looks like one of or a combination of two different character actors Rutger Hauer and James Tolkan.

It’s far too early to judge how Kekalainen - or any other GM - will impact things fantasy-wise. Still, the most relevant thing is to ponder which guys are playing for contracts and which guys might be nervous now that the people who vouched from them got fired.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Most obviously, the team remains at a crossroads in net. Both starter candidates Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky are restricted free agents this summer. Really, things couldn't get much worse for Mason, so maybe the new guy will like him more than most people do for some reason. Bobrovsky might have less rope with a new GM since onlookers tend to give the young Russian mixed reviews. Even fringe veteran Curtis McElhinney is an unrestricted free agent.

Vinny Prospal - he’s been one of the few pleasant surprises for Columbus, falling just a few points short of the team scoring lead behind Rick Nash last season. A reasonable GM would probably want to keep him around at the right price, but Howson might have been higher on him than most …

Artem Anisimov - A talented but not quite reliable performer who will be an RFA this summer.

James Wisniewski, Fedor Tyutin and Jack Johnson - The Blue Jackets' nearly $15 million trio were a big part of Howson's blueprint, but a new GM might not be so fond of those defensemen, especially the double-edged sword types in Wisniewski and Johnson. They all have long-term deals, but they're polarizing enough to be worth watching ... especially since an amnesty could provide a nuclear option.

I wouldn’t get too excited about the impact of a GM change; a coaching fix would have a better chance of providing a boost (even a short-term, placebo effect kind of thing).

Let’s move on to more immediate fantasy concerns after the jump.

Chances are, most NHL executives - particularly general managers and head coaches - know that there’s an invisible clock ticking down to zero hour the second they take on a job. (Unless you happen to be David Poile or Darcy Regier and/or the head coaches that they currently employ.)

Still, that sneaking feeling inevitably increases its stride to the “horror movie killer who inexplicably walks faster than you can run” level when it comes to seemingly no-win jobs. So, for most of us, it wasn’t surprising that the Columbus Blue Jackets decided to can mediocre GM Scott Howson. If anything, many of us were surprised that new team president John Davidson even waited that long.

I’ve often remarked that some of the best-run teams in sport share an interesting common fabric of continuity. When you look at the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL and the Detroit Red Wings and a handful of other teams in the NHL, they might occasionally change coaches and general managers, but it rarely happens.

The funny thing about the Blue Jackets franchise is that, for a moribund outfit like this, they actually having been surprisingly stable … at least when it comes to their top executives. Howson became just the second GM in franchise history in June 2007, filling the not-so-big (figuratively?) shoes of Doug MacLean.

Howson’s made a parade of bad moves in his tenure, although in some cases (see: Jeff Carter), the poor results weren’t solely his fault. Either way, his example presents the possibility that stability doesn’t always guarantee victories; sometimes it just means that the same dude will keep blundering away.

THE NEW GUY

Still, change is in the air. As of this writing, it sounds like Jarmo Kekalainen will be the guy. I don’t know much about him other than that he 1) worked with Davidson in St. Louis, 2) has had a lot of success running Jokerit in Finland, 3) would probably be the first Finnish GM in NHL history and 4) looks like one of or a combination of two different character actors Rutger Hauer and James Tolkan.

It’s far too early to judge how Kekalainen - or any other GM - will impact things fantasy-wise. Still, the most relevant thing is to ponder which guys are playing for contracts and which guys might be nervous now that the people who vouched from them got fired.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Most obviously, the team remains at a crossroads in net. Both starter candidates Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky are restricted free agents this summer. Really, things couldn't get much worse for Mason, so maybe the new guy will like him more than most people do for some reason. Bobrovsky might have less rope with a new GM since onlookers tend to give the young Russian mixed reviews. Even fringe veteran Curtis McElhinney is an unrestricted free agent.

Vinny Prospal - he’s been one of the few pleasant surprises for Columbus, falling just a few points short of the team scoring lead behind Rick Nash last season. A reasonable GM would probably want to keep him around at the right price, but Howson might have been higher on him than most …

Artem Anisimov - A talented but not quite reliable performer who will be an RFA this summer.

James Wisniewski, Fedor Tyutin and Jack Johnson - The Blue Jackets' nearly $15 million trio were a big part of Howson's blueprint, but a new GM might not be so fond of those defensemen, especially the double-edged sword types in Wisniewski and Johnson. They all have long-term deals, but they're polarizing enough to be worth watching ... especially since an amnesty could provide a nuclear option.

I wouldn’t get too excited about the impact of a GM change; a coaching fix would have a better chance of providing a boost (even a short-term, placebo effect kind of thing).

Let’s move on to more immediate fantasy concerns after the jump.

ROR

The latest rumor is that the Colorado Avalanche are fed up with contract negotiations regarding Ryan O’Reilly and are exploring possible trades. The word is that the team wants a top prospect and roster player for the two-way forward.

He’s a solid-to-strong player in reality, but considering the possibility that he might have overachieved a bit points-wise last season, I wouldn’t mess with my roster too much to make room for a guy whose return date is murky.

BLACK AND BLUE BEHIND THE CREASE

Before we jump into the generalized injury/quick hits section, a few bumps and bruises in net are noteworthy enough to warrant an earlier mention.

First things first, it sounds like James Reimer’s MCL sprain will at least be a short-term concern. He’s out a week-plus … In tougher big-picture news, Josh Harding had to back out of a start on Tuesday because of issues related to MS. Hopefully he’s healthy big-picture wise, even if there might be athletic challenges … Speaking of goalies out about a week, it sounds like Jaroslav Halak is in that boat again … Another knee injury: Miikka Kiprusoff’s own sprain could sideline him for two weeks and maybe even more.

BYFUGLIEN’S BACK

Dustin Byfuglien finally made his return from a lower-body injury on Tuesday, allowing owners of the category-stuffing defenseman to utter a sigh of relief. The burly blueliner failed to score a point, only had one SOG and didn't even get any PIMs. Still, he logged 24:24 of ice time against the Philadelphia Flyers. That's a pretty good sign, overall.

Look, I’m still a little reluctant to invest too heavily in Jiri Tlusty. Don’t drop a guy you really like. But if you’re the rotating, using your weekly add/drops with aplomb type, why not take advantage of his plumb gig? … Tough news for the Tampa Bay Lightning: Ryan Malone’s lower-body issue could sideline him for three to four weeks. I like his PIM/lower-level power forward potential, but I think he’s too marginal to soak up your IR spot … I didn’t include him in the earlier goalie section, because c’mon, but Al Montoya is day-to-day with the usual mystery ailment … While other goalies are dropping like flies, Craig Anderson put up a 42-save shutout. Impressive. Pekka Rinne was also impressive, shutting down the scuttling San Jose Sharks … I’ve been waiting for a Victor Hedman breakthrough for some time. Maybe this year could be it? … It sounds like Kris Letang is progressing nicely, though not necessarily ready to return just yet … Matt Carkner is on the IR, so go elsewhere for your PIM needs for the time being … Jared Spurgeon is day-to-day with a foot injury of some kind. Pierre-Marc Bouchard was in street clothes because he’s been terrible, not injured, for once though … Alex Ovechkin actually kinda played like Ovechkin last night … Erik Johnson is day-to-day with an upper-body injury … Jakub Voracek (“baby Jagr”) apparently had a great night on Tuesday. But big Jagr? Jaromir Jagr hit goal No. 669, putting him alone at No. 10 all-time. Teemu Selanne was halted at 667, good for 12 right now … You know who never gets his due? Andrew Ladd. He’s a nice, rugged forward who scored 28 and 29 goals the last two seasons and is respectable in the peripheral areas, too … Rick Nash collected one of the best assists you’ll ever see last night. He’s gonna be OK … Kari Lehtonen might be the sneakiest elite goalie in the NHL (unless you’re already prepared to name Anderson as an elite).